Many fishermen find that live bait is more effective than nonliving bait for attracting fish. However, live bait is also more difficult to work with in that it must be contained in such a way as to maintain the bait in a live state. For example, bait fish, such as minnows, must be kept in water. Such minnows conventionally have been kept in a bucket of water. To retrieve a minnow, a fisherman immerses a hand in the water and feels around for a minnow. The fisherman must then grasp and maintain a grip on the minnow until the minnow can be secured on a hook.
Retrieving minnows in this manner can be difficult because the water is often cold. As a result, immersing a hand in the water may be uncomfortable. Further, cold water has a numbing effect that impairs the sensory and motor capabilities of the fisherman's hand and renders establishing and maintaining a grip on the minnow difficult.
A minnow bucket can be used to store live minnows in water. Some conventional minnow buckets incorporate a perforated lift plate or basket that can be raised above a water level in the container. Raising the lift plate or basket separates the minnows from the water, allowing the fisherman to retrieve a minnow without having to immerse a hand in the water. Discomfort and numbness associated with immersing the hand in cold water can thus be avoided.
Such minnow buckets typically provide access to the minnows via an access opening. The access opening may be covered, for example, by a removable cover or a door when access to the minnows is not required. In some minnow buckets, the door can lock in an open position. If the door is locked in this position, minnows can escape by leaping out of the bucket, resulting in lost bait. Similarly, in minnow buckets incorporating a removable cover, failure to replace the cover can allow minnows to escape.